ITonis, a Prague-based interactive television developer, announced that it is now the first non-Chinese firm to operate in the Internet Television market in China. The company will develop a channel that sells lottery tickets for the State Sports Lottery, basically establishing a sort of online gambling operation based on the platform of Television. The new channel is scheduled for an early 2008 release and will cater for an audience of over 130 million people. Lottery will not be the only option and other gaming products will become available through the new platform.
Online casino gambling is banned in China, and it's encouraging to see that authorities are interested in offering a different kind of platform that offer gambling. People will have a chance to enjoy online gambling even if they do so without a computer. Hopefully, the new platform and the revenue it will produce will convince the Chinese government to open the internet for regular online casino gambling as well. In fact, the Chinese gambling market was completely closed for foreign companies and ITonis is making the first steps into a highly intriguing market. 130 million people means plenty for gambling fans and revenues will surely be high. Time will tell how this will effect the way other online gambling firms handle their progress in the Chinese market.
The new technology might open new possibilities for other countries as well. Offering internet through the TV might improve the image that online gambling has in the eyes of some people. After all, the TV can't be that bad, now can it? All in all, this new development will surely make online gambling even more popular than it already is. People won't have to use their computers to gamble with other people and the entertainment center of the house, the Television, can be used for other, more entertaining, purposes.
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